The
Largest Buddhist Monastery in Pokhara
Pictures
from the Karma Dubgyud Chhoekhorling Manag Monastery
in Pokhara.
Not
many Westerners get up to this Buddhist monastery, even
though
it is just a 20 or 30 minute bicycle ride from the main
tourist area. I was
up here on Christmas Eve six years ago, and then stopped
by again
this year. The two young monk boys showed me around
and did
some entertaining as well. The puja ceremony is a prayer-like
event. They do at least one every day, probably more,
with one being very early in the morning. The one
I was at was two hours, with all the horns and
drums that they use. It's quite loud. Louder than any
accoustic instruments I've ever heard. Mostly,
it's stepping back in time a thousand years, or so.
Though all of this looks very serious when photographed,
there is a huge sense of humor in these Buddhist monasteries.
This monastery has both Nepalis and Tibetans. It's larger
than
the last time I was here, probably because more Tibetans
come
here to escape the Chinese who now occupy their country.
Many
of the Tibetan women make jewelry from stones packed
over the
Himalayas, and the they are the best sales persons
I've ever dealt with in my life.
The
drums below are actually small. When I was here before
they had
a large drum about 7- or 8-feet high. And when they
got it going it
literally shakes the marble floors. This monastery is
associated with the
Dali Lama. They have his photo up. I just wandered around
here and
was welcome everywhere.
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